Angel of the Past
by Rachel4
Summary: Marguerite and Roxton met many years before the expedition...


~ ANGEL OF THE PAST ~  
  
Disclaimer: I do not owe any of the characters.  
Type: Romance, Marguerite and Roxton style.  
Author's note: Special thanks to Steffi for good reviews and encouragement.   
  
Read and enjoy!  
  
  
London, April 1910  
- Marguerite! - Adrienne Mont-Clare whispered loudly. - Are you crazy?  
- I just take a look. - Marguerite Krux, an 18years-old girl hid behind the bushes.   
- I knew you were mad but never thought that you could be mad that much. - Adrienne, a tall girl with dark red hair commented in irritating voice. - If somebody know...  
- If neither you, nor me tell it to somebody, no one will know. - Marguerite made a sign to keep silence.  
Marguerite and Adrienne studied at the boarding school in London and hated it with whole souls. There were forbidden everything but studying all the time so every time when it was possible girls ran away from the school to have a walk in the nearest parks and gardens.  
The school was located in the suburbs of London and most of richest families lived near by it.   
But this time Marguerite excelled herself - she decided to take a look at the garden of the richest family in London. Roxtons were closely connected with the Royal Family and Lord and Lady Roxton were usual guests on different big banquettes and balls in the palace.  
Their two sons, William and John, were the most wanted men in the high society of London. Marguerite dragged Adrienne here for the 2nd time already and in the 1st time they could hardly escape before they were caught.  
And that moment Adrienne and Marguerite sat in the bushes both a bit nervous. One - about the opportunity to see this grand estate, and other - about being really caught.   
- Here he comes! - Marguerite seemed to stop breathing.   
- A policeman? - Adrienne quivered.   
- No, silly, one of the men, oh, no, they both.  
- It is a private property, Marguerite.  
- Even if they call the police... what could they do?  
- THEY could do nothing. - Adrienne looked round. - But in the school abbess with kill us. Anyway it would be better than the punishment she could make for us.  
- Forget about it. We leave the school in a couple of months.  
- Oh, if somebody knows about our little night walks it will happen in a couple of days. - She reminded Marguerite. - I know you don't care but we...  
- Stay here. - Marguerite ran quietly to the 2 benches standing on the two sides of the bush of roses hearing Adrienne's quiet curses behind.   
John and William Roxton seemed to be quarreling and she was very curious about the theme. But by the time she came William stood abruptly, told several words to John in cold voice and went to the house.  
Marguerite sat behind the bench, and John Roxton walked hither and thither along it.   
He's quite handsome, she thought, tall, with dark hair and soft eyes, and courageous face. Marguerite looked down at her gray dress, remembered of her hair-braid and decided that he shouldn't see her in such a dull appearance.  
John sat on the bench and looked at the stars above.  
- Nice weather. - He said, - don't you think so?  
He half-turned to Marguerite who still thought that she was invisible to him.  
- If it is more comfortable for you to sit on the ground you can stay there. - He shrugged his shoulders.  
- How could you know that I was there? - Marguerite stood upright and narrowed her eyes at him.  
- Miss...?  
- Smith.  
He nodded.  
- Miss Smith, I'm a hunter. - He smiled ironically, - and what a hunter I would be if I couldn't recognize somebody standing... excuse me, sitting behind.   
- If you talk like that to each girl you mustn't be very popular. - She noticed skeptically.   
Roxton laughed. This girl was quite funny. As every girl in other's garden ay night would be.  
- No, miss Smith, I talk like that only to naughty girls who run away from boarding schools late in the evening.  
Marguerite looked at him with wide-opened eyes. How...? Oh, he had to notice her the last time she was here. Well, if he didn't run to the house to call the police it was a good sign.   
- May be you even have a telepathy?  
- I bet you think now: "How could he guess?" or something like that. Am I right?  
- May be. - She sat on the other bench that stood back to back with this one he was sitting on. - You have a nice house.  
- Thank you, but I'd better like to have a united family in a small house than quarreling in this one. - He smirked. - And you?  
- I'd like to have any family. - She smiled sadly. - But who knows, may be I'm wrong.   
For about five minutes they kept silence, each thought of his own and didn't interrupt another. The air was warm and stars shined high above, full moon slowly moved along the sky. And every sound - a wind rush, a night butterfly or splash of water in the pond was heard. The smell of roses and orchids from the greenhouse made an atmosphere of romance around and grand house somewhere in the deep of the garden seemed not to exist at all. As if they two were the only people in the world.   
Marguerite looked at the sky.  
- Make a wish on the shooting star. - She whispered to John.  
- And you can promise that it would come true? - He asked.  
- If you really want it. - She shrugged her shoulders. - And if you believe.  
Roxton closed his eyes for a moment to make a wish. Though he even didn't realized what it was. He turned a bit to see raven curled hair, a gold chin on the long gracious neck and a white-skinned cheek.  
- And you? Did you make a wish, miss Smith?  
- Yes. - She laughed and the sound of her laughter took his breath away for a moment. - A little and impossible wish.   
- Something like what? - He insisted.  
- If I tell you it won't come true. - She smiled slyly to herself.  
Roxton smiled too.  
- Like flowers? - Roxton picked the orchid and handed it to her over his shoulder.  
- Only night ones. - She took the flower.  
- So I was right when I picked a night orchid?  
- I bet you have a telepathy. - She laughed again. - I'll put it into the vase in my room...  
- And when the abbess sees it you'll have really   
big problems. - He finished.   
Marguerite smiled. It was so easy to talk to him, to laugh with him. She even forgot about Adrienne who was still sitting somewhere beep in the garden.  
- Then I'll catch a moonlight into it, - she whispered looking on the white flower, - and every night, even in rain and snow, it will shine for me. And I'll tell no one about it.   
Roxton couldn't find an answer to her. A girl sitting back to back with him was smiling. He felt it. As he felt her, her body and soul, as he felt her several days ago when she came for the first time. He wanted to know what she looked like but at the same time he couldn't turn to meet her eyes, he wanted it to be a dream, a fairytale to remember.  
Marguerite heard a quiet melody coming from the house.   
- Have a party? - She lifter her eyebrows.  
- It was made for my brother William. He is an officer and just came back home from his duty. - His voiced changed a bit but Marguerite couldn't recognize the feelings that he hid. A mixture of pain and annoyance.   
- So why are you sitting here with me? I think that there you would feel more comfortable.  
- And what if no? - Roxton laughed a bit ironically. - What if I don't belong there?   
- And where do you belong? - Her voice was serious and quiet as if she realized how important for him was to tell it somebody.  
- I don't know, but definitely not here. This life... for rich and famous people is not for me. Meaning of life is not in money as most people think. We were born to be free but where is this freedom?   
Marguerite couldn't answer. She was just sure that this freedom he was talking about wasn't in the boarding school where she had been living for about ten years already.   
- Miss Smith, what do you think about having a dinner with me some day? - He wondered half-joking.   
- With great pleasure, Lord Roxton. - Marguerite smiled. - It would be a big honor to me. I could swear that all the girls will be bursting with envy if I tell them!  
- Will you?  
- May be. - She teased him. - And you?  
- Let it be our little secret.  
- We don't know each other at all and have a secret already. - She noticed ironically. - My Mommy won't be pleased with it.  
- You don't seem to be an obedient girl. - He narrowed his eyes at her over his shoulder but the bush of the roses was hiding miss Smith from his sight.  
Marguerite laughed.  
- It is only the first impression. - She assured him. - The further, the worse.  
- Good starting. - Roxton nodded. - I'm full of hope.  
He heard her words in his head, her soft voice and quiet laugh. He could swear that she was an angel that came from the skies above. Miss Smith was the most mysterious girl he had ever met and she didn't look like any woman in his life. John wished this moment could long forever. Just sitting like that, just talking about stupid and unimportant things made him happy and filled with tender and something unknown.  
Marguerite realized that Adrienne was still sitting in the bushes and imagined what the best friend would do with her if she didn't appear in the nearest time. It made her blood ran cold.  
- I'm sorry, Lord Roxton, but it's quite late already and I have to leave you. - She stood up and smoothed out creases on the skirt of her dress.  
- It was a great pleasure for me to talk to you, miss Smith. - Roxton stood up too, but didn't turn to her.   
- For me too, Lord Roxton.  
They were standing back to back to each other.  
Then Marguerite led her way to the place where she left Adrienne.   
- Miss Smith! - She heard behind. - Can I ask you one thing?  
- Yes.  
- What is you name, miss Smith?  
She kept silence for several moments, then turned slowly and saw him standing in the moonlight and looking at her.  
- Marguerite. My name is Marguerite.  
John couldn't see her because she stood in the shade, but he caught her gaze for a second when moonlight reflected in her eyes. Eyes he would never forget.  
Marguerite left him standing in the middle of the garden.  
- Where the hell have you been? - Almost shouted Adrienne when she appeared next to her.  
- Had a... polite conversation. - She waved her hand. - Nothing interesting, I assure you.  
- Wonderful! And now let's get out of here!  
She took Marguerite's hand and dragged her to the hole in the hedge they came through. Marguerite looked down and saw that she was still holding a white night orchid that John Roxton presented to her. She smiled and hid the flower into her pocket.   
No one of them ever came back to this garden again...  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
London, April 1920  
Marguerite led her way to the house of professor George Challenger. She attended his conference and decided to fund the expedition and take part in it in order to find some interesting things in the forests and mountains of Amazonia.   
She looked at her watch. Everybody had to be waiting for her already.   
A nice woman, Challenger's wife probably, walked Marguerite to the library. As she entered the room she saw professor Challenger, young journalist Edward Malone who was also going to join them, professor Arthur Summerlee who wanted to prove that all Challenger's ideas were absolutely mad and another man standing back to her.   
After all the greetings the man turned to Marguerite. With a glass in his hand and suit he didn't look like this man that she met 10 years ago, but she could swear that it was he. Lord John Roxton was now standing in from of her and looking at her suspiciously.   
Roxton couldn't breathe. Marguerite Smith changed into Marguerite Krux but still remained amazing and gorgeous. Pale skin and raven curled hair were as beautiful as many years ago. One night, one hour in the dark garden haunted him all those years but he never tried to find her again. It was destiny. She was standing next to Challenger and seemed to be absolutely indifferent on his matter.   
The atmosphere was tense but neither Challenger, nor Malone noticed it. Marguerite and Roxton had a short conversation after which he was convinced that he shouldn't joke with her. And after that they tried not to look at each other but both felt this thin tie between them. Their hearts beat faster. And they both talked about the trip, about what they had to do but their thoughts were far away from this room in a dark garden lit with moonlight.   
One little wish made so many years ago came true for both of them.  
Dried white orchid was still lying in Marguerite's favorite book...  
  
~ THE END ~ 


End file.
